Many of my clients want to do it all – and this year or this quarter. Wouldn’t we all like to have it all?

Think about what are the tasks that will REALLY get you to where you want to go? Many of us deal with noise all day. We have busy activity but what are we REALLY accomplishing?

Yes, there are things we need to do to keep the lights on, keep cash flow, etc… those are what I call maintenance or tickets to entry when conducting business.

The strategic leader is one who not only identifies what needs to be done and why but is willing to make the tough decisions around what they are going to either stop, start or continue in service of the big picture. This last piece of the exercise too often doesn’t happen for a variety of reasons – people are afraid their budgets will be permanently cut; they don’t want to upset anyone; they don’t want to give up that favorite project; their organizations are not that flexible to be able to change gears quickly.

There is no way around it: if you are really working strategically, you HAVE to take a step back periodically and ask the tough question: WHY are we doing this - in service of WHAT? Is this directly related to our overarching STRATEGY or GOAL?

IF NOT, you must stop it. Now. No way around it. If you want to stay focused and achieve your goal. How often do you step back and ask why?

Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC      www.sagelead.com

Recently I attended a reunion of HR Professionals who are former GE employees at Crotonville, GE’s Leadership Development Center. I was impressed that Jeff Immelt came and spent time with us – mostly answering our questions. My question: What are your greatest learnings as a leader and what advice would you give someone early in career who hopes to have your job one day?

His candid, thoughtful response:

Perseverance. You can’t be in this business these days and not have perseverance.

Listening. It’s not that it was a development need for me, but I have learned just how important deep listening is.

Bringing people along with you. Loyalty in times of crisis is key. I have been through 3 recessions in 8 years.

Other key comments:

The future of GE is outside the United States. American companies must have a global footprint. The new currency of business is who has jobs in the U.S. We can’t keep exporting jobs.

My lesson from the Board is to question: “What is the value of financial services?” This business will be smaller but now is not the time to get out.

As a country and as a company, we can’t take our reputation for granted.

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC             www.sagelead.com

Some leadership development strategies only focus on your strengths. This is dangerous! Being in denial about your development areas or your “dark side” ulitmately does not serve you. Being unconscious about these areas only gives them more power over you and your life. Go in with your eyes wide open.

We all have those people, places or things (reports, deadlines, presentations) that press our buttons and “make us” do and say things that “aren’t us.” The best strategy is to acknowledge your development areas and make friends with them. They can be your greatest teachers. Be realistic about what you can, and most importantly – want and WILL to change. If there isn’t the will, don’t waste your time or the time of those around you.

Be honest with yourself about who you really are, what you want and what is required of you, personally, to make happen. If you can “delegate” or hire someone who can address your development needs – all the better! Great leaders surround themselves with those who are good at the very things they are not.

If you can’t delegate then this is your growth area. A key will be to get the support you need to work on what needs to change. You can change your circumstances to “get out” of it but chances are it will resurface wearing a different mask. Sometimes, the only way out of something is through – embracing the challenge.

A well-rounded development plan balances personal responsibility, accountability and change with leveraging others – delegation – to get the results you want. No matter what your role is – CEO, Manager, Wife, Sibling, Father you have the ability to delegate somethings to someone else. Give it a try!

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC        www.sagelead.com

Did you catch this article in The Wall Street Journal on Lessons of Extreme Job Hunting? It pays to be as creative as you can in this market! 

Do I know Obama Personally? No. But “he” sent me an email.

He is the first President who has ever sent an email to me (and thousands of other people too!) to share his thoughts and feelings about a leader who has left the planet.  Getting a “personalized” email has a different feel than seeing him talk on TV or even You Tube news clips. This epitomizes the age we are in – one that allows for a different kind of relationship with our leaders – an informal and immediate direct communication from anywhere around the world at anytime – even if your the President and you’re on vacation. If you haven’t gotten with the program, it’s time.

In case, you didn’t get the email, here is it is:

Susan –

Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives — in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education’s promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me.

In the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. He battled passionately on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintained warm friendships across party lines. And that’s one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy.

I personally valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I’ve benefited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

His fight gave us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you and goodbye. The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we’ve all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives.

For America, he was a defender of a dream. For his family, he was a guardian. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today — to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.

Today, our country mourns. We say goodbye to a friend and a true leader who challenged us all to live out our noblest values. And we give thanks for his memory, which inspires us still.

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

Yes and no. To an extent.

The New York Times today ran an article: Mining The Web For Feelings, Not Facts.

While I agree that there are some really sophisticated algorithms that employ advanced analytics to categorize feeling and opinion-related data, I highly doubt we can get beyond 80% accuracy. As the article indicates, there are too many nuances with our language. Let’s not be deluded to think that a computer can pick up on irony, puns, or double entendres.

And, I certainly hope we don’t get to this point.

It’s a scary proposition to think that our feelings and opinions will one day read like facts. Facts have their purpose, being undisputable. And sometimes it doesn’t matter what the facts are: people still have feelings or opinions about things that may, indeed, not be based on any facts or despite the facts. Largely people’s views are based on their perception or interpretation of the facts. And, with the explosion of social media, many times the online twitter frenzy is ruled by this kind of activity – giving a point-of-view, opinion, feeling about a product or service with few facts considered or one fact unduly weighted over another.

We have to acknowlege that our emotions and intuition rule our lives and decisions more than we would like or care to admit. That’s okay – as long as we are clear that they are not facts.

Paying Attention – FOCUS & Leverage - Reap Huge Dividends.

If you are looking to start a small business, there are a ton of free resources out there, including SCORE and SBA, to assist you.

And everyone – your spouse, your neighbor, dentist, former co-worker – will have advice for you, particularly in leveraging social media – the latest buzz for social and business connections.

In the age of multi-tasking, paying attention to every social medium cannot only get exhausting but it fuels our ADD-sound-bite culture. And they can be huge time suckers, when you need to been keenly aware of how you spend this most valuable resource. The key is utilizing social media as TOOLS that work for YOU and to manage them appropriately.

Put these tools in their proper context – you still need to have a solid business model – how will you make money? Social media can be part of your strategy for reaching your market – why you are using these tools. Leverage: select targeted mediums and integrate the different platforms so one tool feeds another.

WHY to tweet or not to tweet? That is the question.

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC         www.sagelead.com

Simply – No Guts no glory.  It’s that simple. And that hard.

Business Transformation is such a buzz word these days – everybody wants it. “Dominate the market…Innovate…Change the game…Recapture marketshare…Completely revamped your business model, delivery channels, partnerships, alliances” …and the buzz goes on!

But few understand what this really means.

It boils down to two changes you need to make: bring in new creative talent or jump start your existing talent. Typically both are required. And they figure out what markets you’ll serve, products and services you’ll offer, strategy or process re-engineering you will need to employ. This requires you must be decisive and willing to take the bold stands around people and their performance. You can’t do this without a clear vision.

Then you must STAY the course. There is no way around one universal law of how TRUE dramatic change of organizations and people work: it takes time and effort.

Do you really have the strength, stamina, fortitude and guts to lead this effort? Or are you talking a good game?

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC     www.sagelead.com

The challenge is to be so different that you get attention and make people want to inquire further but not so outrageous that you are not taken seriously. You medium is your message. How have you solved difficult problems in your career? How do you translate this tenacity, creativity and perserverance to your personal branding? Darin Lonergan, about to take off…

Walking Billboard

How and where work gets done has changed dramatically in the last 10 years due to the introduction and acceptance of a host of new technological tools – social media, laptops, cell phones, videocams. All contributing to a sea of effects - organizational restructuring, global sourcing, the creation of new jobs and founding of new career paths. Twenty years ago did anyone hear of a web designer or CIO? We went from MIS VP to CIO or CTO. What will the next 5 years bring us in terms of paradigm shifts and new careers?

If you were laid off recently and don’t want to get another job doing what you have been doing but are not sure where to go now, I say – live with the question honestly and deeply – and pay attention to the trends and shifts in the world and in business.

The intersection of your dissatisfaction coupled with answering a need in the marketplace is where you want to be. When you don’t have the answers, then you are open to your own creative forces. This is where you can find answers to your career transition or more accurately stated: career search. You can’t find something if you aren’t looking for it.

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC        www.sagelead.com